Static Star & Grumbles the Death Dealer
by ssw-rawr
Summary: Based on Danger Days by My Chemical Romance. The story of a strange Killjoy, her grumpy sidekick, and how they find their place in a world that doesn't want them.  Eventual FunGhoulxOC
1. Preface

A/N: Welcome! This is a small little taste of a story that's been swimming around my head for a while now, a few characters of my own, mixed with the original Killjoys(eventually).  
>I currently have no beta, so if you spot errors, or are interested in being my beta, leave a review, and even if you don't, leave a review anyway to let me know what you think. :)<p>

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><p>Big brown eyes blinked up at me from the passenger seat as I gulped water from a gallon jug. "What? Are you thirsty Grumbles?" A small growl followed by a bark answered my question. "All right, all right, let me find your dish," I twisted the cap on the jug and set it down before launching my upper half into the back seat of my 1995 two door Chevy Blazer. Anyone who saw it said it was an absolute miracle that it still ran; I always told them it was just excellent craftsmanship, and having a good mechanic on hand.<br>I pulled myself back up and set a small plastic dish in front of the tan and white Chihuahua, laughing for a moment at the fact that the water jug I had set down was larger than she was. I poured a small ration of the water into her dish before popping the hood and jumping out of the blazer. My original mission, the damn thing ran through coolant like no one's business, especially out in the California desert, where we were now. I wrapped my bandana around my hand before opening the reservoir, into which I dumped more than half of the remaining water. I poked around under the hood for about five minutes, checking this and that, making sure everything was still ticking correctly before I jumped back into the cab, eager to get moving, even though the dry, dusty, wind created when driving with the windows down was barely refreshing. The temperature gauge above the rear view mirror read 95 degrees, typical for this time of day, the sun was on its way to setting, and I wanted to drive a few more miles before stopping for some sleep. I had last slept two or so days ago, after hitting a BL/ind city where things had almost gotten very messy, and I was about ready to drop. I cranked the engine to life and took off, checking my rear view every so often, as well as fiddling with the radio, trying to find the Doctors station for the day.  
>I parked behind a cluster of boulders of the shoulder of the road, and set up camp, which was just a tiny fire to cook over and a worn blanket to sit on. I scooped some canned dog chow into a tiny bowl for Grumbles, which she went after immediately, sometimes having to gnaw at the too large chunks like a wild animal. I smiled slightly at her as I dished out my dinner for the evening, warmed up refried beans. I had become quite accustomed to them, as Grumbles' had to the browngrey lumps of 'meat' that she ate every day. I sighed as I chewed and let my mind wander off.  
>I was born and raised in a small cabin in the woods of Michigan, one of the last places the Better Living Industries took over. I was 16 when the bombs hit in 2012, and when the relief supplies allocated to us never arrived, most of the area moved deep into the forests, looking for food and clean water. Soon small colonies started up, but that wasn't enough to stop the famine that stole over one hundred and fifty lives in the first three weeks. My family remained at our house, along with six others, three were friends, and the other three were my boyfriend and his grandparents. It wasn't long before we started experiencing losses of our own, and it was then that a series of events was set into motion that would change my life forever.<p> 


	2. The Past

A/N: I decided to give you a bit more, this is all I've got for the story right now. Reviews will determine if I go on or not! :)  
>Oh and yes, in a post-apocalyptic world, I would trade jewelery for tampons.<br>And also, I own nothing but my characters.

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><p><em>Tears streamed down my face as I drove, my brother, Josh, fiddled with a gun in the back seat, and Alex, my boyfriend, stared emotionlessly out the passenger window. My knuckles were white on the steering wheel, I hadn't wanted to come, but the boys had insisted that they needed my help. I pulled up behind a seemingly deserted store, killing the engine before putting my hands in my lap and staring down at them. "Okay, Sarah, you're going in to distract the store clerk, we're going to sneak in the back and see what we can get, okay?" My brother put his hand on my shoulder gently, I looked up, Alex hadn't moved.<em>  
><em>"I don't get it, what's the gun for then?" I almost whispered.<em>  
><em>"Just in case things go badly," my brother answered, motioning for me to get out of the truck. I got out slowly, watching as he pushed the seat forward and wiggled out of the small back seat. It was a wonder to most people that we were twins. He was a whole foot taller than I, as well as having dusty blond hair, while mine was deep brown. Our eyes, however, were quite similar, a dark swirling hazel. I sighed and was saddened to find Alex still seated in the truck. I went to his door and opened it wide, quickly wrapping my arms around him, "Come on baby, we have to do this," I murmured in his ear. He looked up at me for a second before giving a slow nod and climbing out of the truck. My brother had already jimmied the lock to the back door of the store and as soon as Alex was next to him he nodded to me, I swallowed hard as I turned and walked towards the front doors.<em>  
><em>It was Alex's grandpa. He hadn't made it through the night, and yesterday, Michael had passed; he had gotten sick from drinking dirty water from a stream he found four days earlier. My chest tightened and I tried to clear my head, I needed to focus. A bell tinkled as I opened the door, causing a small elderly man behind the counter to look up. "Good afternoon, little lady, and how may I assist you today?" Oh no, he was so cute and polite!<em>  
><em>Cover story, cover story, goddamn it why didn't Josh give me a good cover story…"Uh…I need…" My mind fumbled for a few seconds, "Tampons! I need tampons." I exclaimed. The old man's cheeks reddened slightly as he bent behind the counter and retrieved a box, holding it up for me to see. "Oh thank goodness," I said, reaching for them, only to stumble slightly as he pulled his arm back swiftly.<em>  
><em>"Now, now, little miss, nothings free here, what have you got to give me in return?" He questioned with a frown. I let my eyes widen before slowly patting the pockets of my jeans, and then the pockets of my flannel jacket before pulling out a small golden ring, a birthday gift that was worth much more than a box of tampons. The old mans' eyes lit up immediately, I sighed, "This is all I've got, I'll give it to you for six boxes of tampons." I stated.<em>  
><em>"Bah! I'll give you two for it!" The old man scoffed<em>  
><em>"Six," I said, "this is 18 carat gold, those can't cost more than four dollars a box, it's perfectly reasonable." As I stared into his milky blue eyes I could almost see the gears turning in his mind.<em>  
><em>I could tell from the greedy look that he really wanted the ring. Even so, a full minute passed before he spoke. "All right, you got yourself a deal little lady." He picked up and bagged six boxes of the tampons, holding out his hand for the ring as he extended the bag to me.<em>  
><em>I reluctantly placed the ring into his palm as I took the bag, "Pleasure doing business with you," I said sarcastically, counting the boxes once more before turning to leave. Pft, cute and polite, more like dusty and wily! I walked slowly to the truck, happy to see the two boys already seated inside. I jumped in and started it up, throwing into drive before I asked how it had gone.<em>  
><em>"We got enough to keep us all well for at least a month," Josh said, he looked upset and Alex looked…the same as he had before, so the ride was spent in silence.<em>  
><em>That was the first time I bartered, as well as the first time I aided in a robbery. A lot of other unsavory firsts followed those, the worst of them being the first time I took a human life. It was four years later when I was staring down the barrel of a BLind issue ray gun, and it came down to his life or mine, and I chose mine._  
>I woke up to Grumbles licking my face and whimpering at me, I was on the hard ground next to the dying fire. I cursed under my breath and pulled myself up, groaning as I tried to pop out a kink that had developed in my neck. The sky was pitch black, so I kicked dirt over the fire and picked up Grumbles, earning a loud grumble for my efforts, once I tossed the garbage from dinner, I shuffled into the back of the blazer. I locked the doors and fell asleep under a green sleeping bag with Grumbles curled up by my belly on the small seat.<p> 


	3. Satan's Tiny Minion

A/N: I would just like to let you guys know that 19 views and no reviews is LAME. I'm not continuing until I get at least one damn review, its not that hard people. Click, rant, click. DONE!  
>Disclaimer: I only own my characters. Nothing else. Seriously.<p>

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><p>Uggghh, my eyes refused to open, my mouth was ridiculously dry, and despite the windows being open, it felt like there was no air in the cab at all. I kicked my feet around in a mini tantrum at the ridiculous heat, causing Grumbles to let out a pathetic grunt from somewhere in that area. My eyes finally opened, but only to search for water, which was thankfully only about a foot from my face. After I had gulped some water down, my legs found the motivation to swing me around to a sitting position. While stretching I took a deep breath, only to almost choke on it, good lord I was really stinky. Fucking desert heat! I took a quick survey of the back area, like I did every morning, making sure no sneaky robbers had been there during the night, I was fairly sure I hadn't been robbed. So I dug my personal stash of 'luxuries' out from under the bench seat. Included in said bag were, one container of baby wipes, one can of spray deodorant, one disposable razor, a half a box of tampons, half a box of Band-Aids, a bottle of (NOT BLind) aspirin, tweezers, eye drops, two tubes of toothpaste and four tooth brushes. Just a few things I had picked up in my travels that I had kept for myself. Extracting exactly one BL/inc Baby Wipe from the container, I wiggled out of the blazer and began cleaning all my important parts, when that was done I pulled out the deodorant and used exactly one spritz under each arm. I stood for a moment in just my bra and panties and enjoyed the very slight breeze on my skin as well as feeling just a tad cleaner than I had in a while.  
>Grumbles chose that moment to make her appearance, having scrambled her way from the backseat into the drivers' seat, she whined at me for a moment before barking twice, "Well come here you silly thing, and I'll let you down!" I laughed. She looked at the center console apprehensively before taking a wild leap and landing in my arms, I laughed and cuddled her for a moment before setting her down to do her business. I stretched a little more before throwing my dirty clothes into a bag and digging into a different one that contained reasonably clean clothes.<br>Torn and worn black skinnies, a bright yellow shirt, mismatched socks, my purple boots, and a zebra striped bandana that I tied over my nose and mouth. I didn't even have to check to know my hair had whipped into a nest during the night, so I dug a comb out of the pocket behind the passenger seat and began attempting to tame it. It went halfway down my back in soft waves when I was finished.  
>Now where the hell did my sunglasses go…not under the seat…or in the glove compartment…Hmm…Somewhere by my feet Grumbles began to made a ridiculous growling noise that sounded like a cross between a wolverine and raccoon, which generally meant "I'm hungry," or "Pet me!" So I threw a dish of dog chow at her and patted her head before going to dig around in the back of the blazer. "Aha!" I smiled as I unearthed my aviators, "What the hell were they doing all the way back there?" I muttered as I picked up Grumbles and her dish and deposited them into the passenger seat.<br>"Mental checklist number four hundred and sixty-two, number one," I pulled one of the ridiculously large ears on the dog next to me, "Grumbles the Death Dealer, check! Number two, personal affects," a tiny clear gem sparkled from its place beneath my lip on the right side, a heart-shaped gold locket around my neck winked in the sun, a silver ring with a large safire and several diamonds glinted on the fourth finger of my right hand, my twin purple ray guns were safely tucked in convenient spots in the cab, and my sunglasses were perched on my face. "Checkity check check," I sang, "number three, supplies, I checked those, number four…um…right then!" I cranked the engine to life and took off towards the road.  
>"Shut up, you evil tiny minion of Satan!" I bellowed at Grumbles. Her answer was to continue to bark and growl ferociously at me, exactly the same way she had been for the past mile and a half. "I'm not pulling over, I know your game, you just want to look for lizards, and we don't have time for you to look for goddamn lizards today!" The statement was met with louder barking and more growling. "I will throw you out the damn window, I swear!" I threatened. Bark, bark, bark, bark! I lunged for her, swerving off the road slightly.<br>I probably would have noticed the figure on the horizon a lot sooner had I not been in an epic battle of the wills with a three pound animal, but as it was I didn't notice it until I was almost on top of it. It was someone in white tights with blue polka dots, a white vest, roller blades, and a motorcycle helmet. Also, from what I could tell, a black thong…oh dear, it only took a few minutes to catch up to the retreating figure, slowing down to a crawl, I hung out of the window slightly, "Killjoys, make some noise?" I called with one hand on my ray gun. The helmeted head turned slowly and regarded me, (at least I thought it was, I couldn't tell because it had a dark visor), before nodding.  
>"Great! I'm looking for Dr. D, you know where he's at?"<p> 


	4. Record Deals

Adding another chapter for shits and giggles. R&R...or don't.  
>Disclaimer: I own only my characters.<p>

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><p>It took about five minutes to figure out that this guy(or at least I assumed he was a guy) couldn't, or wouldn't talk to me. It took about four minutes to understand his charades meant that he'd take me to Dr. Death Defying. It then took another three minutes to convince him to get in the car, that was due Grumbles snarling like a wild fucking dingo in the back seat, where I had thrown her. Once we were finally on our way, we drove another mile down the road before going off into the desert on the left. About a half hour had passed.<p>

The silence was beginning to get to me, it bugged me not knowing this kids name. So I fumbled behind my seat, swerving only slightly, which caused a bit of panic in my new passenger, and pulled out a spiral notebook and a green pen. I tossed them in his lap. "What's your name, kid?" I asked, motioning for him to use the notebook.

'Show Pony, what's your name?' he wrote quickly.

"I'm Static Star; it's a pleasure to meet ya." I grinned at him.

He drew a smiley face on the page and I broke out laughing, only stopping to yell at Grumbles.

"For fucks sake, he's not going to eat your kibble, now shut up before I come back there and make you!" The barking stopped but she continued to growl. I sighed.

The only problem with living in your vehicle is that things tend to get buried. I shoved a case aside and dove deeper into the mess. Grumbles was sleeping under the blazer next to a bowl of water, and Show Pony had gone inside the small shack that was attached to the run down diner to 'prepare' Dr. D for company. I didn't mind, it gave me time to look for the reason I had come all the way out to Zone 5. "What's this?" A blue rope had appeared in the rubble, a really long blue rope. I pulled on the rope lightly, causing several feet to fly out of the back hatch onto the dusty ground. It was a really nice rope, shiny and soft, I didn't want it all dirty! So I started to wind it around my body, spinning like a top as more and more rope snaked out. Suddenly it stopped, the length was completely taunt, but by this time I was pretty well wrapped up in the rope, so I did the only thing I could think of at the time, and threw my body weight against the rope to try and dislodge it. The first time I just winded myself, the second time I almost fell down, but I could feel that something was coming out, so, with a dramatic wiggle of my ass, I tried one last time. My reward was a meeting with the hard ground, as well as getting pummeled by a heavy square box. I lay flat out on my back for a moment, trying to breathe, "Uuuuugh, fuccckk. Bad plan." I sat up with a grunt. 'Records' was scrawled across the top of the box. Success! I peeled the top open and began thumbing through the records lovingly.

I was still wrapped up in the rope fiddling with the records when I heard the engine headed in our direction. Grumbles shot up and started barking her head off, of course, so I grabbed her up quick and stuffed her under my shirt in an attempt to shut her up. Show Pony appeared next to us a few seconds later, motioning with his thumb for me to go inside.

"Do you hear that? Someone's coming?" I questioned as I stood an attempted to free myself from the rope. He made a shrugging-head shaking gesture that I took as 'No need to worry.'

As soon as I was free I patted my ray guns, which were now strapped to my hips, adjusted my black fingerless driving gloves, nodded, and started stuffing things back into the blazer. Show Pony seemed really focused on the case of refried beans I was about to put away, so I pulled a can free and offered it to him. "Take it kid, I've got plenty," I shook it enticingly in front of him until his hand shot up and snatched it. He hugged me quickly before disappearing into the diner doors. I giggled and shook my head, turning back to my task. Once the box of records was the only thing left I slammed the gate back up, put the window down, and secured the spare tire. The vehicle had yet to show up, but Grumbles had still been scampering around my feet growling and barking like a lunatic, so I scooped her under one arm, the records under the other, and headed towards the shack.

"Ah, you must be Static Star, welcome to my humble home," The dark, scruffy man was hardly what I had been expecting, but I smiled anyway. His mustache was epic and his long hair just accented its amazingness. At least in my mind.

"The fabulous Dr. D, I presume," I teased, setting the box down and shaking his extended hand.

"The man, the legend," he laughed, "so, what brings you here, my dear?"

I smiled as I pulled my bandana down around my neck and he tilted his head at me.

"Well, I've been listening to your broadcasts since I hit the Zones, I, uh, had something I figured would be more useful to you than they've been to me." I picked up the box and offered it to him.

He laughed loudly, "Thank god, I thought you might try and offer me that rat-thing," he continued to chuckle, I narrowed my eyes and stuck out my tongue at him.

"I'll have you know that Grumbles the Death Dealer is the finest lizard dusting dog you'll find in this Zone or the next!" I held her up in front of my face and nuzzled her nose, "Isn't that right Grumbles?" She just stared at me with half closed eyes, letting me know she was unimpressed with my show, so I shook my head and put her down, letting her explore. Dr. D had turned his attention to the box and his eyes were glowing like it was Christmas day. I smiled slightly as I watched him pull out each record with tender hands.

"You really want to give these to me? That's it? No trades? No favors?" His voice was quieter than before.

"Yes. I want you to have them so that everyone can enjoy them. They're not doing anyone any good bouncing around in the back of my blazer," I chuckled.

"Where did you even find them?" He asked, still lovingly inspecting the contents of the box.

"I saved them from a city that BL/Ind selected for 'renovation'. The Killjoys got word of it and we raided it after evacuation. I found that box at a pawn shop, and I couldn't leave it. I didn't understand it at the time. Or understand what compelled me to keep them so long. That was, until I hit the Zones and heard your broadcast." I was looking down at my boots blushing.

Grumbles had tired of exploring and had started jumping at my leg, whining to be picked up, but I ignored her, so she soon moved to investigate Dr. D, who regarded her with amusement before consenting and scooping her up. She immediately began sniffing at every inch of him that she could, causing him to laugh as she snuffled at his face.

"Where do you stay?" Dr. D asked, stroking Grumbles ears.

"In my blazer," I laughed, "have been for the past three years, come on, I'll show ya!"

We made our way out the swinging board door way and I made a sweeping gesture at the blazer, like I was revealing the 'new car' on the Price is Right.

"Ha! Not bad, kid!" Dr. D exclaimed, setting Grumbles down and moving closer to inspect it.

At that moment a dusty Trans Am ripped into view, distracting us both, Show Pony came running out of the diner just as the car slammed to a halt next to my blazer.

Both doors flew open and two men appeared in the dust. Both were tall, one with dyed blond hair, the other with red, next came a shorter man with long black hair, then a taller man with the best afro I'd seen in years, and finally, a midget also sporting a curly puff of hair. All wore masks, except the midget, that I could now tell was actually not a midget, but a young girl, and she had tears streaming down her face.

All heads were bowed. Dr. D took several steps towards them and I followed slightly behind. The men walked behind the girl slowly, the tall one with the afro nudging her along gently. Four sets of eyes eventually rose up to Dr. D, then, more apprehensively over to me. Words might have been exchanged, but I had completely zoned out, the small girl's eyes had locked into mine, and as more tears welled up in her eyes I slowly crouched down and held my arms open wide. There was hardly a moment of hesitation before she sprinted into my arms, hitting my chest hard enough to leave me breathless, but I just gathered her up into my arms and held her tight.

My eyes stared straight ahead, but I couldn't see the men staring at me in surprise and confusion. My mind was far away, with a child slightly smaller than the one in my arms now.


	5. Pirate Smiles and Apricot Trials

A/N You guys suck. I own nothing. Review fuckers!

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><p>My side of the booth was feeling very lonely at that moment. The small girl, who I had learned was Boombox Kid, had cried herself to sleep in my arms, and after I'd laid her in the room Jet directed me to, I was hustled out into a booth in the diner. Now three of the four Killjoys belonging to the Trans Am had squished into the opposite bench, and all were currently staring at me in complete silence. To seem like I wasn't totally intimidated, I was staring right back. It was problematic at first, until I devised a four second time limit for staring at each of them before I switched.<br>"Ehem," four heads whipped towards the unexpected noise, several hands groping for ray guns.  
>The man with the amazing afro, or Jet Star, stood next to our booth with his hands and an eyebrow raised, "whoa there guys, it's just me, damn." He pulled a chair across the room and sat down, thankfully closer to my side than the guy's side.<br>"HA! Jet Star is on my team now," I cried, and pulled him by the chair fully to my side of the booth. Death glares. I coughed nervously, "Right then, maybe next time," I scooted back to the center of my 'seat of judgment' and crossed my arms, resuming the staring game.  
>"Who are you, why are you here, and what do you want?" Party Poison snapped, leaning forward and glaring at me harshly.<br>"Is this how you treat all your guests? It's a wonder Dr. D wasn't prepared for company." I scolded him sarcastically.  
>Jet Star gave Party Poison a withering look, "Yea, Poison, straight up interrogation, THAT'S the answer."<br>"Okay," Poison stated, "let's start with what we do know then, we know that your name is Static Star, we know you drive that blue beast outside, and…yeah, that's it." He glared over at me.  
>I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, only getting caught on one snarl. "Static Star, 23, Killjoy, usually accompanied by Grumbles the Death Dealer, 5, Chihuahua, white with tan spots." I droned, "I hit the Zones about 6 weeks ago, looking for Dr. Death Defying so I could give him something. Which I did, so, I'll now be on my way, if you don't mind." I punctuated the sentence by standing up and turning to leave, only to be pulled back roughly and shuffled back into the 'seat of judgment'. "Goddamn it! What do you want from me?" I whined, crossing my arms and pouting at the group of men.<br>Dr. D chose that moment to stroll in, oddly enough carrying my dog under one arm.  
>"Whoa now fellas, this gal is aces with me. So is this little pooch," he gave us a pirate smile and walked off towards what I assumed was the kitchen.<br>We all stared after him with varying faces of confusion. Eventually Poison turned towards me and said, "Well…that was odd. I'm sorry I'm being so harsh. We don't get many new faces out here, the Zones are rough, and lately we've had trouble with specialized Dracs trying to infiltrate the Killjoys. We can't be too careful anymore." He looked sheepish. I of course took the news like a mature adult, after I waggled my tongue out at them and did a little 'I told you so' dance, that is. "It's actually alright, I've had worse receptions. I almost got sacrificed once. That was a bad Tuesday." I scratched the tip of my nose for a second before standing and stretching. "Now I just have to rescue my wee little Death Dealer from Dr. D and I'll be on my merry way."  
>"You should stay here tonight." My eyes roamed the table before landing on the tall blond; his soft little voice surprised me. "We have an extra room with a bed!"<br>"It's starting to get dark anyway, it would be pointless to leave if you're going to have to stop in an hour anyway," Fun Ghoul chimed in.  
>"It's the least we can offer since we were so rude," Poison joined in with a laugh.<br>"Gentlemen, you had me at bed!"

The mattress was slightly lumpy, but it felt like heaven to me. I hadn't slept in a bed in…damn, at least a year now. After it was decided that I'd stay the night the guys had started preparing a dinner, which to my utter horror was Power Pup. I couldn't allow it, of course, and I pulled out some of my supplies. Refried beans, apricots, and bottled water. Meager, but the group had dug into it like it was a Thanksgiving feast. After I checked that one of my ray guns was securely under the pillow…just in case, you know…I wiggled around under my blanket for a few moments, almost giddy with the pleasure of a bed. With a content sigh I let my eyes drift shut.

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><p><em>"CASSIE RUN!" my heart was pounding fast, I was aiming quickly, and firing rapidly at the Dracs that were coming too close to my small friend. Cassie's ridiculously blond hair whipped around her in a mass of crazy curls as she rushed out the door of the warehouse and my heart skipped a beat as I watched, in slow motion, it seemed, as she tripped on a fallen bit of cement. "Goddamn it Cassie," I swore under my breath and rushed towards her, still firing into the group of Dracs that was closing in fast.<em>  
><em>"My ankle, my ankle, its broken I think. FUCK. Just leave me, save yourself, I'll hold them back," Cassie cried, shoving me away with one hand and clutching her obviously mangled left ankle with the other.<em>  
><em>"Not a chance, I'm not leaving here without you!" I fought off her small hands and pulled her up off the ground. I hoisted her into my arms and began to run, I almost thought we were going to make it too, I felt a stinging pain in my right shoulder, but I kept running. We were so close. But a lucky Drac landed a shot on my leg, and I toppled to the ground, trying to roll my body quickly to avoid crushing Cassie, in the process managing to smash my head against a random cement chunk, almost the twin of the one that broke Cassie's ankle. I mentally cursed cement, its creator, and the sun, as I faded in and out of consciousness. My eyes fell shut, but I fought them open, only to reveal three Dracs standing above Cassie and I.<em>  
><em>"The one with the brown hair won't live. Leave her, take the blond." A clicking robotic voice called out.<em>  
><em>"No…can't..haver…" I muttered, clutching Cassie to my chest.<em>  
><em>"Get away from me!" Cassie cried in her tiny voice, balling her fists into my shirt. "NO, let me go! Get off of me!" My eyes drifted shut to her screams as they finally pried her from my arms.<em>

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><p>With a jolt I sat straight up in the bed. My breath came in gasps and Cassie's voice rang in my head. I lifted a shaking hand to move my hair out of my face and encountered wet streaks on my cheeks.<br>I was out of the bed in seconds, pulling on clothes and my boots. I headed straight outside and into my blazer. I pulled open the small hidden compartment between the driver and passenger seats, groping around blindly for a second before pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a small lighter.  
>As I lay on the hood of my blazer, blowing smoke at the stars, tears began flowing down my cheeks again. Cassie had only been a year younger than me, I considered her my little sister. She had been one of the only people brave enough to leave Michigan with me. Now I didn't even know if she was still alive. All because we refused to take our medicine, hadn't been content with brainwashed normalcy, and preferred colors to shades of grey. We'd been exploring a run-down warehouse in Pennsylvania when the Dracs popped in to ruin our day. Coming quietly wasn't our style.<br>When I finally woke up, the sun had set, blood had dried around my wounds, and all traces of the Dracs were gone. The shot to my leg was minor and the shot to my shoulder had gone straight through, somehow missing anything important. It left a nasty scar, but I lived. When the Drac had announced I wouldn't live I had accepted it, but when I had lived, I began to wonder if the Drac technology was really as advanced as everyone had been led to believe. It was after that day that I had gone completely rogue, and I started using only my Killjoy name.  
>My heart ached in my chest, but I took a long drag off my cigarette and shoved it aside. Revenge was all I wanted now.<p> 


End file.
